I dig the hell out of MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, who claimed her fame as a sidekick on Keith Olbermann’s “Countdown.” The truth is, she was often the best part of the show. And for those who like to get your liberal claptrap without a heavy dose of smug, Rachel Maddow is smart, high-minded, quick-witted, and mild-mannered. Better still, when she gets a conservative guest on her show, she’s respectful. She’s the kind of liberal I love: One who can trumpet her politics without denigrating the other side. She’s also a motherfucking decent person, one of the few — it seems — in the bias news business, where ego seems to dominate.

Apparently, there are lots of others who feel the same. In its first week, her new show is killing. In fact, she was not only second in her time slot among the cable newsers (Fox’s “Hannity and Colmes,” inexplicably remained on top), but she out-rated her lead-in, Keith Olberman.

I suspect there are a lot of people who have wanted a female on the presidential ticket for a long time, but aren’t happy that it’s Sarah Palin. I feel the same about network news anchors: I’d love to see a woman anchoring the nightly news — just not Katie Couric. Maybe in 15 years, when Charlie Gibson and Brian Williams finally leave their chairs, Rachel Maddow (and everyone’s favorite gay anchor, Anderson Cooper) can take their places.